Jewel of the Stars
by Kirabaros
Summary: It is a special night for Nick Stokes. He proposes to longtime friend, partner and girlfriend, Sage Parker after a night of dinner and a walk in a garden. And what does she say?


**Jewel of the Stars**

The night was cool and there was a gentle breeze making the desert heat of Las Vegas seem like a mere after thought. It was perfect for evening activities and it was soothing to Nick Stokes as he looked up at the moon shining brightly, praying that the night would go smoothly. It was a big night and one that he had been looking forward to with readiness and trepidation. He leveled his gaze to the door that had been a familiar scene to him for nearly two years.

It was the same night two years ago. The first night that he took her out. She had said yes after a few misunderstandings and him being bold about it. A few of those misunderstandings had been his fault and he regretted them because they had been hurtful. She said yes and it led to something more, coming to this night.

Nick knocked on the door and waited patiently. He wondered what she would be wearing, not that it mattered. She was beautiful no matter what she wore. She was an amazing person. And to think that it all started over a spilt cup of coffee.

To say Sage Parker was a whirlwind was an understatement. When they first met, he didn't know that she was the new CSI that had been hired for graveyard shift. He thought she was a mouthy college student. Her appearance didn't give him much cause to think otherwise. Then he found out who she was and he entered a world of pain and punishment that brought laughter, sarcasm and a partnership that had been tested several times over and yet it was still going strong despite them.

She was a thoughtful person, always thinking of others over her own happiness. She was willing to leave the crime lab because she was under the impression that the result of the lab finding out she was the author of the Sin City series that paralleled their lives was going to tear them apart. She had turned in her notice and left before the end of shift. He found her and convinced her to come back. She did and stayed and they were more often partnered together on cases. She was there as a friend and partner through the good times and bad.

The door opened to reveal Sage dressed in the same black number she had worn on their first date. She had changed the shawl but it went with the 1920 vintage necklace she was wearing that had been a birthday gift from her grandfather. It was elegant and had the flare that was distinctly her when she dressed for work. Her hair was still the short pixie look she sported but it seemed softened. All and all she was beautiful and it showed on his face as his eyes widened in surprise and he took his time staring at her.

"You better close your mouth. You'll catch flies looking like that, Ness," she teased with her soft southern accent.

Nick continued to stare at her even though her use of the nickname she had saddled him with got his attention. She had given him the nickname when she learned that his middle name was Elliott. She called him an 'untouchable' and started calling him Ness. It was also when he discovered she was a bit of a history buff. In return, he gave her the nickname Sass because she was sassy and better than calling her by her initials. She liked it and since then that was how they referred to each other. It took awhile for the team to understand who they were talking about. He stared at her and replied, "Sorry just... You look beautiful."

The blush and the smile was more than enough and Nick smiled as he watched her pick up her satchel purse, another thing that was not usual for her but elegant nevertheless, and turn to say good bye to her dog Riley. He escorted her to his truck and endured the usual heckling from Sage's nosy and elderly neighbor telling him to have her home at a decent hour and to be a gentleman or there would be hell to pay. It always made Sage laugh and she reassured him with a gentle nip on his arm. It made it seem like any other night they went on a date and alleviated the nervousness he was still feeling.

He took her to the restaurant they went on their first date. It was a sort of tradition. He did the same thing previous years and she pronounced it cute and romantic. It gave his ego a bit of hit at cute but he was pleased nevertheless because she was happy. He hoped she would be happy this night and managed to hide his nervousness as he escorted her in to claim their reservations. They were seated after being greeted by the owner who always thanked Nick for his help on the robbery that happened in that restaurant and give a gentle appraisal of Sage.

Sitting across from Sage, Nick took the time to observe her as she drank her wine selection. He was always impressed with how refined she could be despite the effort and lengths she went to not be associated with that crowd. She knew etiquette and acted with grace and decorum and had an interesting way of snubbing people who thought they were in 'the circle.' That was because she came from old money on her father's side and it took a long time for her to reveal it and once she had, he understood her reluctance to do so.

Having money did have an effect on how people viewed you and Sage did everything she could to appear like everyone else. It wasn't easy revealing that you were a trust fund kid and even more difficult to understand why she would prefer to work and use the money she earned to pay bills. She never acknowledged involvement in things like the charity foundation she started to keep the rec center that Warrick grew up in open. Looking back, he should have suspected money when he was first invited to her condo which was not shabby but not too high end either. It was that comfortable gentleness that cost a pretty penny and was confirmed when he checked the pricing.

Her having a trust fund didn't do anything to damage their relationship. Rather, they ignored it. He did think that she was teasing him when she told him about the trust fund that had been started when she was born and she never knew about it until she was well into her PhD program. She never dipped into it unless she really wanted to. She didn't have to work for money but she did because she enjoyed it and she had been brought up without the silver spoon. To top it off she had the royalties from _DC Homicide_ series and the new hit favorite, _Sin City_ series. She had more money than she knew what to do with and was content with being the occasional anonymous donor.

"What are you staring at? You know I'm not that attractive," Sage interrupted his thoughts by teasing him.

"Just seeing you, Beautiful," Nick admitted, "Remembering seeing you in the society page Greg showed."

"And I remember you acting like I was a hussy for being with a man old enough to be my grandfather and not really doing anything to hide it. You are cute when you're jealous."

Nick felt his skin flush at that. He had been jealous at that time when Greg showed him the article and he really shouldn't have since he hadn't really staked claim to her. It did end up with something good coming out of it. He replied, "I was jealous and mad at myself because I had been trying to ask you out."

"You did though. After you ambushed me."

"You didn't seem to mind." Nick had uttered the words in a husky tone remembering clearly what happened after the misunderstandings were cleared up. "You said yes."

"And never regretted it." Sage was smiling at him as she rested her chin on her folded hands like she was posing.

Nick was glad for that. When she said yes, it started a new chapter in their relationship and one that was a pretty damn good ride. Hearing her say that she didn't regret it made him happy and gave him a dose of confidence for the last thing of the evening. It allowed him to enjoy dinner, teasing her about her newest _Sin City_ novel and her persistent resistance to giving hints of what was coming next. They never talked shop but there was always some sort of topic that showed off knowledge. Nick never wanted her to be shy about showing what she knew.

When they first started out, she was shy about revealing who she was. Not that it wasn't hard to find out. She was a forensic psychologist and biochemist specializing in DNA and she profiled suspects. It was revealed why when she admitted that she was actually quite young, being a child prodigy and finishing college when she was seventeen. Her doctorate was in her twenties and she went to work for New Orleans PD after graduating despite offers for high paying research and other types of jobs. Nick appreciated her intelligence and her diplomacy. He always looked for ways to get her to reveal her geek as he called it and she took the bait every time. There was always something to talk about.

Dinner passed with few reservations and Nick ended up teasing her about her choice of dessert. The woman had good taste but he noticed that she had a preference for the simple things. She could get fancy but she liked it when things were straightforward and to the point. He grinned as he watched her finish her tiramisu with relish and no doubt would probably find it on the dinner table or being brought to the office as a treat to everyone. And she would deny ever knowing anything about it. Only those really stupid believed her when she said she hadn't a clue.

Taking a sip of his wine after finishing his dessert he sat back. He had one more thing planned but he wanted to make sure she was okay with it. So he teased her, "You think you have enough energy to take a walk?"

"You implying something," she teased back giving her southern accent more of a twang.

"Only seeing if you're too tired."

Nick watched as she raised her brow at him. He liked baiting her this way and she knew he was only teasing her so she played along. He grinned when she retorted, "Let's see if you can keep up old man."

Nick was happy to comply with that, long getting over the fact that she was younger than he was. In the end, it seemed that it was better he waited after getting kidnapped and buried alive. It certainly allowed them to get closer without it being awkward. Standing up, he walked over to help her out of her chair and escorted her out to the gardens that skirted the restaurant. He had never really been to that part of the place but the owner told him that it was certainly an ideal place to be for something special and looking at it, it was.

The garden was small but it made up for it in its simple beauty, mimicking the villas of Italy. Watching Sage, he knew he made the right choice in lingering rather than taking her home. The moment was close at hand. Now he just had to get the words out. He put his hand in his jacket pocket and paused, watching Sage look at the foliage with delight. He asked, "See anything you like?"

"Maybe a few I'd like to try in the back. Provided they don't invoke Riley's ability to eat everything," Sage replied with a smile as she touched an Italian cypress. "But I am not good with geometry," she joked.

It was a lie since she was good with math. She had done statistical analysis in school and was occasionally asked to help on a paper and a study every now and then. Nick knew though that she was more admitting that she didn't want it to be in order like this garden. She liked a little bit of chaos. He replied, "Maybe just for decoration and let it go."

"You don't know much about gardening do you, Ness?"

Nick looked down at her as she tapped the lapel of his jacket. She looked beautiful with the lights that had been artistically arranged to give a surreal quality to the garden. "Why should I when I have an expert with me?" He breathed it out, caught up in her appearance and his throat felt suddenly dry.

"Are you alright?"

Nick looked to see the puzzled look on her face. Inwardly he cursed and was quick to reassure her, "I'm fine."

"Really? I mean you've been… different," Sage replied as she tried to put her finger on it. "Is there something on your mind? Work?"

Nick did not want the conversation to go there. "No, not work." He put his hand in his pocket again.

"And you've been doing that all evening."

Nick realized she had been more observant than he thought. He had forgotten that she could observe and not say anything until the person made a serious blunder like he did. It did call to mind if she suspected what he was going to do. "Well…"

"Yes?"

Nick looked down at the expectant face. He realized she was thinking something different. It had nothing to do with their relationship. She was probably running a dozen scenarios through her head from work-related that bordered on personal to personal to his family and her family and figuring out what had him antsy. It was a thing he loved about her but also could get out of control if he didn't curb it. He knew he had to tell her and it was right.

Gently taking her hand, he held it and said, "Sage…" He heard the slight sound in her throat. He remembered how he fought her on being able to call her by her given name especially when she thought that he was washing his hands of her. He learned that the nicknames and her insistence on using her last name was a means of establishing friendship. The exception was Greg. He had inadvertently hurt her feelings and explained that he just wanted to be able to have the same permission as Greg.

She had given him an eyebrow at that. Looking back, he realized she was trying to figure out why he wanted to change direction when he already had given her his pet name for her. It was another insight to how she thought and saw the world and didn't blame her for being guarded at times. She agreed to it after some thought and he figured it had to do when she helped Grissom calm him down to keep him from blowing everyone up when they found him. It didn't matter she let him and he could see she was realizing that it was not what she had been thinking.

Before she could think worst case scenario, Nick continued, "Sage… I've known you for five, six years now and despite the temper tantrum over coffee…" He held his hand up to keep her from retorting and continued, "You've become a good friend, the best partner and a wonderful girlfriend and I don't really deserve it but you gave me the chance over and over again."

It was quiet that you could hear your heartbeat and Nick was certain that he heard his pounding in his chest as he kept his gaze locked on Sage. She had relaxed once she realized that what she had previously thinking was not the issue. It had him wonder how long it would take for her to figure out where this was going before he got the words out but he was liking the rapt attention she was giving and it didn't seem to dawn on her just yet but he didn't have a whole lot of time. He decided to get it out there, "Sage, I love you and I know that I've been the biggest ass on the planet times over with you and don't deserve your forgiveness but… I want to be with you."

"I want to be with you too."

It had been a soft utterance but Nick heard it. It was time. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out what he had been carrying all night and held it in his hands. Swallowing back his nervousness, he opened the black velvet box and said, "Then… would you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?"

Nick felt like a fool since he was sure he was blushing and it sounded silly. He certainly felt silly as he held out the ring that he had commissioned and bought. It was a silver band with a garnet and diamond setting that would allow for the attachment of the wedding band. It was another 'favor' from a jeweler that had offered when he worked another case and he took it. He looked at Sage and saw that she was stunned. It was clear that she hadn't expected this at all and it surprised him since she was usually astute about things like that.

It was quiet for some time and Nick thought she was rejecting his proposal until he heard a very soft, "Yes."

Nick blinked and saw that she was smiling and trying to breathe. He raised his brow and she nodded wordlessly. It was his cue and he took the ring out and took her left hand. Gently he slid it onto her ring finger and breathed thanks that it fit though he shouldn't have been concerned since he borrowed one of her rings when she wasn't looking and took it to the jeweler. His fingers lingered on her hand as it brushed over the stone and her softened skin. "Thank you, Sage," he whispered.

"What have I done besides say yes?"

Nick looked at her smiling face, her happiness radiating from her and he replied with a smile, "Being you. And it is an honor." He leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips relishing that she returned it. "I love you, Sass."

"And I love you," she replied wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling up at him. She stepped back to admire the ring.

Nick chuckled at he watched her. He took her hand and moved it so the light caught it making the gems glitter like the stars. "I had it made so that the wedding band would connect," he offered feeling a little shy about it. "The gems… well diamonds are a tradition but they are like a dime a dozen, like the stars. The garnet is like a supernova, a jewel amongst the stars… just like you." He looked at her and studied her reaction.

"It's beautiful… and romantic," she replied looking at him with a smile. "The hidden side of Nick Stokes. I'd like to see that on Crime Stopper," she teased as she gave a gentle tug on his jacket lapels.

"I'm never going to live that down am I?"

"I keep it for an occasional tease," she replied, "But it is sweet."

"You are a jewel, Sass," Nick replied as he fingered her cheek, his expression serious. "A jewel amongst the stars and one that I'm lucky to have found."

"Keep this up and I'm going to start thinking that you're serious," Sage replied teasing but obviously pleased all the same.

Nick chuckled as he pulled her into his arms to start kissing her. Right now anything they said in their usual banter couldn't dampen his mood. He was on cloud nine. Everything went well that night and the woman he loved said yes to marrying him. He mused on it as she curled up against him fast asleep. Absently he picked up her hand and rubbed his fingers against the ring on her finger and smiled as she curled her fingers into his. Sighing he tucked her hand close to him and closed his eyes to go to sleep. He had found his jewel of the stars.

* * *

 **A/N:** I couldn't resist and it's been awhile since I wrote for Sage and Nick so here is a one shot where Nick proposes to his Southern Hurricane and she says yes. Enjoy!


End file.
